Key Nebraska Players Michigan State Hoops Must Contain

These Cornhuskers are the ones to know ahead of Friday's game.

Nov 25, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) drives against Winthrop Eagles guard Kareem Rozier (2) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Michigan State has to earn every bit of this one.

The Spartans' first game of 2026 is one of the most challenging on the schedule. No. 9 MSU is on the road to take on undefeated Nebraska, ranked 13th. This top-15 matchup is the best game on Friday's college basketball slate by a wide margin, and the Cornhuskers currently hold their best ranking in more than 30 years.

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo watches the action during a game against the Toledo Rockets at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Tom Izzo said Wednesday that Michigan State has played more talented teams than Nebraska already, but that he hasn't seen his team try to handle a team of the Cornhuskers' caliber on the road. MSU's only true road game was against Penn State, who is currently 138th in the NCAA's NET rankings.

Nebraska is 14th in the NET rankings, for further comparison. These are the players that the Spartans will have to be the most ready for.

Rienk Mast

Nov 29, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast (51) drives against South Carolina Upstate Spartans forward Learic Davis (11) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

One of the big stars for Nebraska is Rienk Mast, who is a native of the Netherlands. This is the 24-year-old Mast's seventh year of college basketball, thanks to two medical redshirts and a COVID waiver. He began his career at Bradley before transferring to Lincoln.

Mast missed last season after undergoing knee surgery, but he's having the best season of his career thus far. He's scoring 16.5 points per game, shooting 37.7% from three, along with a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per contest. He normally plays the five, so he'll be a defensive challenge for MSU's Carson Cooper.

Pryce Sandfort

Dec 7, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) reacts while walking off the court after defeating the Creighton Bluejays at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Watch out for Pryce Sandfort beyond the arc. He shoots nearly eight three-pointers per game, and he has made 38.2% of them so far. What is also a challenge about guarding Sandfort is that he is not exclusively a threat from three as well. While the majority of his attempts are for three, he makes about two-thirds of his shots worth two points.

For the season, Sandfort is averaging 16.5 points per game, along with 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals. It's a big step forward from his play last year at Iowa, where he averaged 8.8 points per game in 2024-25.

Sam Hoiberg

Dec 10, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) reacts after a foul call against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The "coach's kid" stereotype is usually about a player not really deserving to be on the team. Sam Hoiberg, son of Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg, does not fit that mold. He's the Cornhuskers' starting point guard, and he deserves to be so.

It took Hoiberg about 3.5 seasons in Lincoln to earn his role. He began regularly starting in January of last season. This year, he's started every game thus far and averages 8.6 points per game and averages 3.8 assists per game, a great number compared to only 0.7 turnovers.

Nov 11, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg walks onto the court before the game against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU's upcoming game against Nebraska when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Spartans when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW